Saint Casimir Parish

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MINISTRY OF PRAISE
 

SEPTEMBER, 2017
 
St. Casimir Parish
 

Almighty God,
grant that with the help of St. Casimir’s intercession
we may serve you in holiness and justice.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS

  • That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.                                 (September Papal intention)
     

  • That all bishops, priests, and deacons will be true and holy servants of the Gospel.
     

  • That those who engage in business will be honest, ethical, and upright stewards in the sight of God.
     

  • That the Lord will watch over firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians and guide them in their service.
     

  • That God bless all students, teachers, and staff as they return go school.
     

  • That God bless Father Bacevice and the Pastoral and Finance Councils in their efforts to secure the future of St. Casimir Parish.
     

  • That all parishioners recognize their responsibility to St. Casimir Parish’s future through financial support, commitment to parish activities, sharing ideas, and most importantly prayer.
     

  • That the Lord will draw family members into deeper bonds of love.
     

  • That the Lord will lift up the poor and make us generous in aiding those in need.
     

  • That our Ministers of Praise be validated in their belief in the power of prayer.
     

WHAT’S HAPPENING            AT ST. CASIMIR PARISH?

  •     Sept.  1st      First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 8:00 – 9:00am in Church 

  •     Sept. 13th     Evening Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 6:00 –9:00pm in Church

  •     Sept. 20th     Confirmation, 7:00pm, in Church

 
SAINT FOR AUGUST
 

SAINT PETER CLAVER

Priest, Missionary

(1580 - 1654)

 

SEPTEMBER 9th  

We must speak to them with our hands, before we try to speak to them with our lips. (Saint Peter Claver)

     St. Peter Claver was born in Spain, studied under the Jesuits, and asked to be sent to the West Indies. Instead he ended up at Cartegena in present day Columbia, one of the major centers for the New World slave trade. He worked unceasingly ministering to newly arrived slaves from Angola and the Congo who were bound for the slave markets. It is estimated that he baptized more than three hundred thousand slaves during his forty years of work.

     At the time there was little that Peter Claver could do to change the social structure. People seemed unable to see the evil of slavery in their midst. Peter tried to be a visible sign to the people, showing them that these slaves were human beings, children of God.

     St. Peter Claver provided food, medicine, and clothing to the newly arrived slaves to whom he ministered. He exemplified the old saying: “actions speak louder than words.” We can talk about God and holiness and spiritual progress, but if we don’t practice what we preach, no one will listen. As St. James says, “What use is it if…one of you says…’Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:16)

     St. Peter Claver had the kind of courage and love necessary to bring peace to the hearts of those who suffered.  He saw the suffering Jesus in the slaves he served. And he heard in their cry: “What you do unto others, you do unto Me.” 

Sources:  365 SAINTS, Woodene Koenig-Bricker; SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS, Loyola University Press.

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Respect for Persons and Their Goods

 

#2414  The seventh commandment forbids acts or enterprises that for any reason – selfish or ideological, commercial, or totalitarian – lead to the enslavement of human beings, to their being bought, sold and exchanged like merchandise, in disregard for their personal dignity.  It is a sin against the dignity of persons and their fundamental rights to reduce them by violence to their productive value or to a source of profit.  St. Paul directed a Christian master to treat his Christian slave “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, …both in the flesh and in the Lord.”(Philem 16)

 

 REFLECTION

 

 

THE MIGHTY ONE HAS DONE
GREAT THINGS FOR ME
(Luke 1: 49)

                   

 Bishop Nelson J. Perez

     The theme of the World Youth Day Unite held near Washington D. C. in July, 2017 was The Mighty One Has Done Great Things for Me. One of the speakers was Bishop Nelson J. Perez, soon to be installed as bishop of Cleveland.

     Bishop Nelson noted that people had come from 52 dioceses across the country and also from different places along life’s journey. Bishop Perez said, “we each come from different places but the Lord finds you and me where we are.” The common reason why everyone was there, he added, was because “somewhere back in the day or recently, you and I had an encounter with Jesus Christ,” which is the center of the Christian faith.

     While the Christian faith also includes being kind, generous, caring and compassionate, he noted that people who aren’t Christian can also do these things, and sometimes do them better. Bishop Perez said that what distinguishes Christians is the belief that “[Jesus] moved, He rose from the dead, and He continues to move in us and through us and about us.”

     As an example of this, Bishop Perez recalled a conversation he had that he felt went very poorly. Three years later he found out that it was the closest the other person had ever felt to God. “Never, never, never underestimate the power of God’s Spirit working in you and through you and despite you…most of the time unbeknownst to you and me.”

     Bishop Perez also spoke about God’s goodness and mercy, and how his love requires a response of trust and gratitude, like that of Mary. Her trust was not because she had no worry or doubt. Rather, when the angel Gabriel came to tell she would give birth to Jesus, she was filled with fear and doubt.

Source:  “At World Youth Day Unite event, young adults urged to recognize, share God’s love,”
                  by Kelly Seegers, Catholic News Service, July 27, 2017.

                   So open to God’s action in her life was Mary, that she was chosen to bring Christ to the waiting world.
On September 8th we honor Christ by celebrating his Mother’s birth. So, too, let us honor Him by showing respect and concern for one another.
Source: SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS, Loyola University Press